Monday, September 21, 2009

Family Caregiers: You Are Not Alone

On October 10, I will be attending the reunion of the Neshaminy High School Class of '64. I am also a member of the organizational committee. One rule we have for our meetings is that no one is allowed to talk about their aches and pains or other maladies.

However, something often discussed during my past 10 years working with this group is the difficulties some of us have had in caring for aging parents. It is the reason I returned some 12 years ago to the home I grew up in.

Family caregiving is virtually exploding in the U.S. Studies have estimated that approximately 26 million adults in the U.S. provide unpaid assistance to adult family members who have a disability or chronic illness. And, according to the National Family Caregiver Support Program, the stress associated with performing family caregiving tasks can result in an increased risk of infectious disease, depressive symptoms, and chronic illness such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Shortly after moving back here to help in the care of my ailing father, I joined Children of Aging Parents (CAPS), a national organization founded right here in the Levittown portion of Middletown Township by Mirca Liberti some 32 years ago. CAPS provides information and support to caregivers, and the assurance that they are not alone. Shortly after that, I was encouraged to join the Board of Directors and served as president for a year before it was decided to merge with Contact Greater Philadelphia about six years ago.

While CAPS has a number of caregiver support groups in 15 states, I realized some time ago that we could never adequately serve the needs of all the caregivers who desperately need help, information and encouragement. As a result, I started and still maintain an online caregivers support group. This group currently has more than 900 members who share stories, discuss resources and vent frustrations.

If you are the caregiver of an elderly parent, relative or friend, and the stress seems to be unbearable, remember that you are not alone. Visit the CAPS Web site to see if there is a support group near you. If not, look in the right-hand column of the home page for the box to join our free online support group. You will be welcomed the moment you send your first post.

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